BOAT LOADING AND CARRYING APPARATUS FOR VEHICLES

APPAREILLAGE DE CHARGEMENT ET DE TRANSPORT DE BATEAU POUR VEHICULE

English Abstract

An apparatus for loading and retaining for transport, an article, such as a boat, onto a vehicle, particularly a pickup truck. The apparatus comprises a pivoting rear frame member and a forward supporting frame member attached to the truck. The rear frame member has a laterally spaced pair of arms which are pivotally attached to the vehicle, such as onto the trailer hitch of the vehicle, and an upper interconnecting portion for supporting a rear portion of the boat. The rear frame member raises the boat as it is pivoted from a near horizontal position to a vertical position, by suitable means such as a winch.

French Abstract

Un appareillage de chargement et d'assujettissement pour le transport d'un article, tel qu'un bateau, au moyen d'un véhicule, plus particulièrement une camionnette. L'appareillage comprend un organe arrière pivotant de châssis et un organe avant de soutien de châssis qui sont fixés à la camionnette. L'organe pivotant de châssis arrière a une paire de bras rotatifs espacés latéralement et fixés au véhicule, par exemple au dispositif d'attelage de remorque du véhicule, ainsi qu'une portion supérieure interreliée qui sert à soutenir la partie arrière du bateau. L'organe arrière soulève le bateau tandis qu'il pivote d'une position quasi horizontale à une position verticale à l'aide d'un dispositif approprié tel qu'un interrupteur.

Claims

What is Claimed is:


1. A loading and carrying apparatus for attachment to a vehicle comprising:

a rear frame member having a laterally spaced pair of members having lower
pivot means
for pivotally attaching to a lower outer rear portion of the vehicle for
pivoting about a horizontal
transverse pivot axis, and an upper interconnecting portion including rear
support means for
supporting a load;

a forward frame member having a lower portion for attaching to the vehicle
spaced from
the rear frame member, said forward frame member including an upper portion
having front
support means for supporting the load;

means for pulling the load forward onto the vehicle; and

means for pivoting the rear frame member between a generally horizontal
position to a
vertical position.

2. The device of Claim 1, wherein the means for pulling the load forward onto
the vehicle
comprises a winch and cable.

3. The device of Claim 1, wherein the means for pivoting the rear member
includes a winch
and cable.

4. The device of Claim 1, further comprising a horizontal tubular member for
attachment to
a lower rear portion of the vehicle, and wherein the rear frame member
includes a pair of lower
horizontal arms for mating with end portions of said horizontal tubular
member.

5. The device of Claim 1, further comprising rollers on the upper portion of
each of the rear
frame member and the forward frame member for movably supporting the load.



6. The device of Claim 3, wherein the rear frame member comprises a portion
extending
substantially radially from the pivot axis and a lever end portion extending
at an angle such that a
point of attachment of the cable is above the horizontal transverse pivot axis
when the rear frame
member is in a lower position.

7. The device of Claim 1, further comprising a cradle with rollers for
attachment to a lower
rear portion of the vehicle.

8. The device of Claim 1, wherein the load is a boat.

9. The device of Claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a pickup truck.

Description

CA 02299799 2000-02-23

TITLE
Boat Loading and Carrying Apparatus for Vehicles
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a loading and carrying apparatus for attachment to a
vehicle, and particularly for loading and carrying a boat on a pickup truck.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various devices have been used for loading a boat onto a vehicle. The known
devices are relatively complex in construction and in operation.
One example of a previously proposed device is described in U. S. Patent

No. 4,239,438 which discloses a device for lifting and carrying loads on top
of pickup
trucks and which includes a fixed frame over the bed and the cab of a pickup
truck and a
pair of slanting rails along the sides of the fixed frame. The described
device is
relatively complex in construction and limits uses of the pickup when
installed.

SIi:VIMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for loading and
carrying an object, such as a boat, onto a vehicle, particularly a pickup
truck.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple
apparatus for loading and carrying an object, such as a boat, onto a vehicle,
wherein
components of the apparatus take up little space, allowing the vehicle to be
used for
other purposes when not transporting an object.
It has been found that a boat loading and carrying apparatus of simple
2 5 construction and operation can be provided with a pair of frame members,
with a rear
frame pivotally attached to a rear lower portion of the vehicle and a forward
supporting
frame being attached to a more forward portion of the vehicle.


CA 02299799 2000-02-23

The present invention provides a loading and carrying apparatus for attachment
to
a vehicle comprising: a rear frame member having a laterally spaced pair of
members
having lower pivot means for pivotally attaching to a lower rear portion of
the vehicle for
pivoting about a horizontal transverse axis, and an upper interconnecting
portion
including rear support means for supporting the load; a forward frame member
having a
lower portion for attaching to the vehicle spaced from the rear frame member,
said
fonvard frame meinber including an upper portion having front support means
for
supporting a load; and means for pivoting the rear frame member.

i 0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figs. I to 4 are schematic represent.ations of one embodiment of the apparatus
shown at various stages of loading a boat onto a vehicle. Fig. I shows the
apparatus at an
early stage of loading, Figs. 2 and 3 show intermediate stages, and Fig. 4
shows the boat
loaded for transport.
i 5 Fig. 5 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4 taken from the rear
of the
vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figs. I to 4 illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, shown used
for
loading and cam ing a boat 1, on a vehicle 2, shown as a pickup truck.
Fig. I shows the apparatus at an early stage in loading, while Figs. 2 and 3
show
intermediate stages, and Fig. 4 shows the boat loaded for transport.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 4, the apparatus includes a pivoting rear frame
member 4, and a forward supporting frame member 3. The rear frame member 4 is
25 pivotally attached at 14 to a lower rear portion of the vehicle while the
forward frame
member 3 is shown mounted to a forward portion of the truck bed .


CA 02299799 2000-02-23

The forward frame 3, shown in the form of an inverted generally U-shaped or M-
shaped member, includes a lower portion 5 for attaching to the vehicle 2, and
an upper
horizontal portion 13 with a cradle with rollers 10 for guiding and supporting
the boat 1.
The forward frame member 3 is shown and is shown including a pair of brace
~ members 15. The brace members 15 extend obliquely downward from the forward
frame and preferably in proximity to the side walls of the vehicle 2 so as not
to take up
unnecessary space of the box of the pickup truck 2.

With reference to Fig. 5, the rear frame member 4 includes a laterally spaced
pair
of tubular members 12 having lower arms 14 pivotally attached, via tubular
member 16,
1 ~ to the vehicle, to provide pivoting about a horizontal transverse axis 24.
As shown, the

pivoting means comprises a cylindrical member 16 xvhich mates with cylindrical
ends 14
of frame members 4.

Manv vehicles used for transporting boats will be equipped with a standard
trailer
hitch, one common type being a REESE TM hitch. Accordingly, the rear frame
member 4
15 may be adapted to be attached to such a trailer hitch. With reference to
Fig. 5, the lower
tubular members 14 of rear frame member 4 are pivotally attached to tubular
member
16, which in turn is attached to the vehicle hitch 26.

An upper portion 9 of the frame member 4, shown provided with supporting
rollers 19, supports the rear portion of the boat 1. Pivoting of the rear
frame member
% allows it to be raised and lowered, along with the boat, with the use of a
winch 8, as will
be described.

Referring to Figs. I to 4, the rear frame member 4 is shown in the form of a
tubular member having a portion 12 extending substantially radially from the
pivot axis
24 and an end portion 6 extending at an angle such that the point of
attachment 20 of the
cable 18 is above the pivot axis 24, when the frame 4 is in a lower position,
as shown in
Figs. I and 2. This arrangement provides a leverage arm for an increased
mechanical


CA 02299799 2000-02-23

advantage for the early stage for of pivoting and lifting of the frame member
4 and boat
The vehicle will preferably be provided with guide means, such as a roller 22,
for
attachment to a rear portion of the truck bed to guide and support the boat in
the early
stage of loading of a boat, as shown in Figs. I and 2.
A winch 7 and cable 17 is used for drawing the boat onto the truck while winch
8
and cables 18 are used for raising the rear end of the boat into position, as
will be
described. Referring to Fig. 5, pulleys 26 and 25 redirect the cable 17 and
cable pairl8,
respectively. from the generally upward directions to the generally horizontal
direction.
i 0 With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, an additional cable 28, also attached to
the
pivoting frame 4 and 20, pulls the rear of the boat forvvard when the rear
frame 4 is
pivoted upward and fonvard, as is described below_

In operation, with reference to Figs. I to 5, the winch 7 with cable 17 pulls
the
boat I onto the vehicle 2 over the rollers 19 of frame 4 and onto roller 22 at
the back end
of the truck. The winch 7 and cable 17 pulls and supports the boat to the
position shown
in Fig. 3, at which stage the front end of the boat contacts, and is supported
by, the
rollers 10.
At an intermediate stage of loading, such as shown in Figs. 2 or 3, the rear
frame
member 4 is pivoted fonvard bv means of winch 8 with cables 18, from the near

2 0 horizontal position as shoxkm in Fig. 2, to the vertical position as shown
in Fig. 4,
thereby raising the rear portion of the boat, while at the same time the
forward end of the
boat is supported initially by the cable 17, and subsequently by the rollers
10.
In the final stage of pivoting (after that shown in Fig. 3) the boat will be
pulled
forward by the cable 28 as the leverage arm 6 of the frame 4 pivots forward
and upward
25 into the position as shown in Fig. 4.
In the elevated position (as in Fig. 4) the boat can be secured for transport
by
additional securing means in a conventional manner.

~


CA 02299799 2000-02-23

The unloading operation is basically the reverse of the above. The winch 7
with
cable 17 may be used initiallv to pull the boat rearward, from the position
shown in Fig.
4, to the stage at which the point of attachment 27 of cable 17 on the boat I
approaches
the rollers 10 and pullev 26. As the boat is moved rearward, the rear frame 4
pivots
rearward and lowers the rear end of the boat. At this stage (see Fig. 31 the
boat will
descend under the force of gravity, and the descent rate can be controlled bv
winch 8 and
cable 18. At the same time (see Fig. 2) the winch 7 with cable 17 can be used
to support
the front end of the boat until it contacts the roller 22.

110 It will be understood that the apparatus may take other forms from that
illustrated
in the drawings, depending on the structure of the vehicle and the boat, or
particular
object to be loaded. For example, other arrangements of winches, or
alternative devices,
may be used for pivoting the rear frame member and loading the boat, or other
object,
and the rear pivoting frame member may be pivotally attached to the vehicle by
means
other than that shown.

Representative Drawing